R Praggnanandhaa had a sensational performance at Norway Chess, defeating Magnus Carlsen, the reigning classical champion, in the only classical win of round three in Oslo. This incredible victory proved to be a crucial win for the young Indian grandmaster and added to Carlsen’s ongoing problems in the event.
Praggnanandhaa showed exceptional control and tactical acumen in the game, as the white pieces. Carlsen looked as though he had the better of things for much of the opening but the Norwegian failed to convert his lead. Over time, Pragg slowly but surely made the right moves with precise calculations and eventually took the advantage when Carlsen made a mistake to win a great game.
Carlsen lost to Alireza Firouzja in the first round and this was his second defeat in two rounds at the classical level. He has been demoralised by the poor run in the tournament as the world No. 1 has moved to the bottom of the standings with just 1.5 points to his name and almost 14 live rating points are deducted due to the poor run.
Meanwhile, Firouzja, who has been in the form of his life, cruised past the reigning World Champion D Gukesh in a classical game that resulted in a draw and went into Armageddon tiebreak. Wesley So won another Armageddon match against Vincent Keymer.
With his stunning win over Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa moved into second place in the tournament, while Firouzja is now in first place with a three-point lead. The explosive outcome has brought a new gasp of excitement to one of the year’s best chess games.